Working with hundreds of speakers as an event producer, I’ve learned a lot about what makes a speaker truly great. Below, four nationally recognized speakers — all of whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with — share their insights on how to give a stellar presentation that resonates with any audience and gets them invited to speak again.

Know Your Audience

Whether you’ve been asked to speak or you’re pitching a session, the first step is to research your potential audience. Knowing the audience provides speakers with information necessary to craft an on-point, well received presentation. You will want to know several things about the audience including, their level of sophistication in the area you’re presenting, learning objectives and topics of interest.

Rick Wion, director of social media for McDonald's, has been speaking publicly since 1997. “If you don’t know your audience, you are pretty much guaranteed to fail," says Wion. "Your presentation could be too rudimentary, too advanced or completely off topic without understanding the core audience.”

There are numerous ways to get to know an audience in advance of an event. These can include contacting event organizers to ask about audience make-up, researching past events, reading the agenda, checking out other speakers and finding out what other session topics are being offered. Marcy Massura is Weber Shandwick’s digital community manager and the co-founder and president of the largest North American regional blogging organization, BlogCrush. She says, “Understanding your audience is key to your success.” In preparation for any speaking engagement, Massura “[asks] for attendee lists and often watches videos of previous speakers. Keep in mind, many attendees return to the same conference year after year.”

Knowing the audience puts you at a distinct advantage because your session will be more likely to resonate. This is something Jeffrey Hayzlett, best-selling author and former CMO of Kodak, knows. Publicly speaking for over 20 years and at least 70 times a year, Hayzlett always takes the time to know his audience because, as he states, “the audience walks away appreciating that the speaker has taken the time to understand them and be honest with them.”

Selecting the Right Session

Crafting the right session topic with your audience in mind is a must. Select an on-point topic and work with event organizers to get your session approved. Do your research and ask producers what other sessions are being offered, read the agenda and abstracts and all the while keep in mind what expertise you have to offer. Wion shares, “It is important to have a well-rounded set of topics within a given event, so I am always flexible in what I present and try to tailor it to be complementary and not repetitive to the rest of the event’s content.”

Charlene Li, founding partner of Altimeter Group, has been speaking publicly since 1996. When crafting her keynotes Li looks “at the specific needs of the audience and then prioritizes. I find that many sessions either try to cover too much or they are not focused on what the audience wants and needs to learn.”

In addition to having the right topic and including relevant issues, great sessions also keep an audience interested and engaged. This might mean you will have to be flexible, and if speaking often, keep reshaping your presentation in order to avoid getting stale.

Putting Your Presentation Together

Having worked with many speakers, I’ve found the process of putting a presentation together varies dramatically, and all depends on what works best for the individual.

If this is your first time putting together a deck, selecting a presentation software tool will be the first step. There are lots of fantastic presentation software options including PowerPoint, Keynote and Prezi. You may want to play around with several of them to find what works best for you.

Many speakers prefer PowerPoint because it is easy to work with and easy for audiences to follow. Massura explains, “People think linearly — brains like concepts on separate pieces of ‘paper.’ PowerPoint gives a sense of progress as the slides change. It might be old school, but it works.”

Whatever tool you use, do not rely on it too heavily. What truly matters is the content and your delivery. Wion advises, “The best use of any presentation tool is to help organize your thoughts ... but that should be the extent of the use of these tools. Successful speakers know the material well enough to work from scribbled notes as much as a glitzy presentation.”

For those who expect to speak at numerous events, having several presentations on a variety of topics and simply reshaping them to fit the particular event and audience is suggested. Both Massura and Li present at a variety of events throughout the year. Massura often works “for many months on a new presentation. I might use it with small changes for more than one conference.” Li shares that in order to keep her keynotes fresh and on-point, she has “a few base presentations which I modify for each speech.”

After selecting the right presentation software tool, you’ll need to fill it with relevant and compelling content. Presentations containing bright and exciting images, few words and which move along at a good pace tend to do better. “I use very few words on my slides," says Massura. "I want people to listen to me — not be reading the screen. The right visuals can make or break your deck.”

This may be difficult at first, as you will undoubtedly have lots of things you’ll want to put on slides, but as Hayzlett advises, “Do not come to the stage with hundreds of slides, each with 50 bullet points that no one can read. Understand that your audience is filled with “real people” — people who are running the gauntlet of business every day.”

Finally, you will want to practice. Being prepared allows speakers to do their best on presentation day. Even the most seasoned speakers practice. Keynote speaker Li believes, “The most important thing to practice is your opening — you need to have this nailed because if you get a last minute case of the jitters, your practice will put you into auto-pilot and sweep you into the momentum of the presentation. But just as important is your close — when you step off the stage, what will be the last impression that you leave?”

While practicing is recommended and even encouraged, do not turn your presentation into a memorized monologue. Massura practices but avoids “full fledged rehearsals because they can really spoil the ‘magic’ of a presentation.” So what is the right amount of rehearsal? Wion advises “Practice to the point that you know your material to a conversational point but don’t over practice to the point that you can’t adjust.”

It’s Presentation Time

If you’ve taken the time to know your audience, selected the right session topic, pulled together a presentation you’re proud of and practiced sufficiently, this part should come together easily.

Wowing the audience is a surefire way to leave a lasting impression, and the best presentations all share key aspects: They connect with the audience, tell a story and teach something valuable. How can you incorporate all three?

Connect through simple gestures, like making eye contact rather than looking down at notes, moving around and even getting off the stage. Hayzlett reminds us, “Your connection with the audience is a function of your energy, passion, preparation and genuineness.”

Wion of McDonald's does several things to make his presentations stand out. “I love to wear my vintage Mayor McCheese t-shirt — helps me represent the brand in a different and memorable way. And I hand out freebies, because who doesn’t like free food?” Handing out swag as a reward for people who ask and answer questions is a guaranteed way to get audiences involved.

Another successful trick is to incorporate a company you know will be in the crowed, says Li. “I will ask the organizers if there are companies that are held in high regard, or [have] knowledge of 'inside baseball.' I'll put up a screenshot of the company and ask them to stand up. They are usually surprised and thrilled to be included and recognized in the presentation!”

Telling a compelling story will help you avoid putting on a "Death by PowerPoint" presentation. According to seasoned speaker Wion, “the emotion of a tale is remembered long after even your most compelling numbers have faded from memory.”

Finally, be sure your presentation is not only entertaining but also educates. Keep in mind people attend conferences with the hope of learning new strategies and tactics. Those presentations that meet learning objects stand out.

It’s Not Over Yet

After you’ve finished speaking, it’s a perfect time to continue your relationship with the audience. “I love meeting the audience following my presentations. We take photos and I always encourage them to post to my Facebook and Twitter accounts. I love staying in touch via social media and keeping the conversation going,” shares Hayzlett. Continue to network, build your community and wow long after you walk off stage. Presenting creates a perfect opportunity to build your personal brand, so take advantage.

Be sure to get feedback from attendees and event organizers so that you can make your next presentation even more memorable. “One way to do this is to go back and read the Twitter feed to see what resonated and answer questions that people may have posed,” says Li. Whether you read the Twitter feed, talk to people post-presentation, or review evaluations from event organizers, don’t miss out on an opportunity to grow and improve your presentation skills.

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